This invention relates to the removal of CO and O.sub.2 contained in hydrocarbon feeds by catalytic oxidation to CO.sub.2. In a particular aspect, this invention relates to the removal of CO and O.sub.2 contained in monoolefin-containing streams.
The presence of carbon monoxide impurities, and also of molecular oxygen, in hydrocarbon containing fluids is undesirable for a variety of reasons. This is particularly true for monoolefin-containing feeds for catalytic polymerization processes, such as the polymerization of ethylene and/or propylene in the presence of Ziegler-Natta catalysts, because CO and O.sub.2 poison these catalysts. Even though it is known to remove CO and O.sub.2 from hydrocarbon-containing feeds by catalytic oxidation, the known cleanup processes generally operate at elevated temperatures and at a stoichiometric excess of free oxygen. Under these oxidation conditions, not only CO but also a portion of the hydrocarbons will generally be oxidized. The present invention provides a process which alleviates the undesirable oxidation of hydrocarbons during the catalytic oxidation of CO with O.sub.2.